This invention relates to a connector and, in particular, to a type of a connector which establishes an electrical connection of electrodes thereto when a card-like substrate, on an end portion of which the electrodes are formed, is inserted into the connector.
There is a type of a connector (a socket) to establish an electrical connection when a card-like substrate, on one side of which a plurality of electrodes (circuit conductors) are provided, is inserted into the connector. The connector includes terminal clamps which connect the plurality of the electrodes to the substrate by clamping the substrate when the substrate is inserted. The terminal clamps have an elastic force, and holds the substrate by the elastic force, thereby maintaining the electrical connection.
Since the terminal clamp provided on the connector into which the substrate is inserted maintains the electrical connection with the electrode of the substrate by the elastic force of itself as described above, various arts are proposed to assure the electrical connection.
For example, FIG. 5 shows a substrate connecting structure according to a conventional art 1 disclosed in a Patent Document 1. In the conventional art 1, a terminal unit 70 includes a plurality of substrate connecting terminals 71 and a shaft member which supports the substrate connecting terminals 71 to arrange the substrate connecting terminals 71 in a predetermined manner. The shaft member is made of a circular insulating resin, and is held to be clipped by a bent portion of the substrate connecting terminal. In this way, clipping and connecting portion 72 to which a circuit conductor 77 of a circuit substrate connects is placed in a proper position.
FIG. 6 shows a structure of a card-edge connector 90 according to a conventional art 2 disclosed in a Patent Document 2. A terminal clip 80 of the card-edge connector 90 limits a movement of a circuit substrate 84 by a limiting unit 83 including an elastic connect piece 81 and a locking part 82 when the circuit substrate 84 is inserted into the card-edge connector 90.
[Patent Document 1] JP-A-2001-155802
[Patent Document 2] JP-A-2003-7375
Generally, a card-edge connector for receiving a substrate having two separate conductive connecting terminals with one on each sides of the substrate, requires more than merely the connecting terminals of a terminal clip to support the connecting weight and forces applied to the connector, when the substrate is inserted into the connector.
As a result, a housing is needed to receive a reactive force of the connecting terminal. Accordingly, if the housing if formed by a resin such as a plastic, the above reactive force acts continually, causing creep, or deformation of the housing, particularly in the presence of heat produced by the substrate. If creep occurs, the connecting force is reduced. Consequently, it may decrease a reliability of the connection.
In the conventional art 2, the connecting weight is received by the terminal alone. However, since the locking part 82 of the terminal clip 80 at the under side on the upper side of the substrate, there is a concern that the both sides conductor is short-circuited. Therefore, it is necessary to have a sufficient width between the terminals, and it is difficult to minimize the connector.